Ooops… Did Jeane Napoles’ Lawyer Lie?

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – The lawyer for Jeane Napoles, the youngest daughter of the alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles, said on Wednesday that the real properties in the United States that are linked to her were registered in her name because she was applying for US citizenship.

David also said that since his client does not own any of the properties mentioned, she does not owe the Philippine government P17.88 million in tax liabilities in 2011 and 2012 since she had no income during that time.

But an investigation by The Adobo Chronicles shows that Napoles’ lawyer may have lied.

There is no such requirement to own property in the U.S. in order to become a naturalized citizen.

To become a naturalized United States citizen, one must be at least eighteen years of age at the time of filing, a legal permanent resident (or non-citizen national) of the United States, and have had a status of a legal permanent resident in the United States for five years before the application. The applicant must be a “person of good moral character”, and must pass a test on United States history and government and have a working knowledge of the English language.

Maybe, Napoles’ lawyer needed a new pair of glasses or perhaps misread the U.S. immigration law?